


Morning Rituals

by ValkyrieWolff (WyckedStarr)



Series: Catradora Shorts [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra Has Issues (She-Ra), Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, I feel bad with how much I torture her, Morning Kisses, Post-Canon, Pranks and Practical Jokes, but her teleporting is so useful for accidentally stumbling into things purposes, but this fic isn't about them - Freeform, glimmer makes her usual appearance, kinda domestic?, minor mention of - Freeform, specifically anger ones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26142175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WyckedStarr/pseuds/ValkyrieWolff
Summary: I want to wake up every morning by your side
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: Catradora Shorts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1842643
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	Morning Rituals

**Author's Note:**

> This was born from the vague mention of a morning routine in The Nose Knows. You don't need to read that for this to make sense though.  
> Some of the sentences are weird but I can't work out how to make them not be weird

In the Horde, everything had been about routines. When they woke, ate, trained, slept. Even when they went to the shower was on a schedule. Catra had delighted in strolling in late to every last one of them. Adora, on the other hand, could always be trusted to be exactly on time, ready and standing at attention.

As such, it was not even remotely surprising to Catra that even in the rebellion, Adora still followed the routines instilled in her by the Horde.

With the war over, they were still trying to work out the way they fit together now. There were sharp edges where they had once sat flush, but they were working on it. Strangely, Adora’s old routines were working in Catra’s favour there, a reminder that for everything that had changed, some things were a part of Adora through and through.

Catra was starting to believe that she was one of those things.

None of that was to say she didn’t enjoy disturbing Adora’s precious routines. There was nothing better than watching Adora skid ingot the council room, late for an important meeting. She knew Adora was well aware that her recent spate of bad luck was caused by Catra. Who else would have the opportunity to set everything up, who else would be able to steal her favourite jacket and set up a trap to douse her with cold water as she left the room to search for it? (Not to mention, her laughter wasn’t exactly quiet)

Getting up early to set up her various traps were more than wroth it to see the look on Adora’s face, as she stood dripping wet, shock clear on her face.

Curling over with the force of her laughter, Catra didn’t see the glint in Adora’s eyes as she stalked towards the giggling woman.

Catra shrieked as Adora scooped her up in wet arms and turned back towards their room.

“Let me go!” Catra cried, squirming in Adora’s grasp. “Adora!” She was breathless with laughter, which didn’t help her attempts to free herself from her girlfriend’s firm hold. “No no nooonononono Adora, don’t you dare!”

Barely holding back her own laughter, Adora tightened her grip on the struggling woman and three them both into the shallow pool of water underneath the waterfall.

Spluttering, Catra scrambled over Adora, pushing her further into the water in her desperation to get out of the water. Soaked to the bone, she scowled at Adora, who ignored her, choosing instead to roll onto her back and float peacefully in the pond.

Violently shaking herself dry, Catra sat back and just watched as Adora floated. It was difficult to believe that after everything they’d been through Adora could still be so relaxed.

Anger started to swell, the always smouldering embers suddenly flaring into a raging fire. She took a deep breath and felt a soft warm pressure butt against her hand.

Stroking Melog’s soft head, Catra breathed slowly. In for four counts, hold for seven, out for eight. Melog’s breathing matched hers, the rise and fall of their chest pressed against her legs helping her keep count. Slowly, she felt the rage start to drain from her, leaving a strange numbness in its place.

Opening her eyes, Catra found Adora crouched in front of her, towelling off her damp hair. Once, Catra would have thought the look on Adora’s face was pity and been even more angry, but now she knew better. It was concern. Adora wanted to make sure that she was okay, because she loved her, she didn’t pity her, she was concerned for her.

Sensitive as always to Catra’s needs, Melog pulled away to press themselves against Adora, chirping a request for pats.

Stroking her hand through Melog’s transparent mane, Adora smiled and boosted herself onto the bench next to Catra. Melog followed her, still purring and reluctant to let Adora stop patting them. With Melog holding the majority of Adora’s attention, Catra felt secure enough to slide closer to her, resting her head on Adora’s damp shoulder.

The next morning, rather thang et up early to mess with Adora and her routines, Catra allowed herself to close her eyes and snuggle against Adora’s warmth.

When she woke again, it was as Adora was sliding carefully out of the bed. Through slitted eyes, Catra watched as Adora began to move through a familiar pattern of movements. She’d watched Adora run through the same exercises more times than she could remember, but for the first time, she didn’t have to hide the fact that she was watching her.

The early morning light seemed to caress Adora’s pale skin, her muscles flexing and stretching with each move. The soft sheen of sweat built, as she increased the intensity of her morning workout. With the sunlight and sweat, she seemed to glow with internal light, much less magical and scary than She-Ra’s light, but every bit as beautiful, if not more. This wasn’t She-Ra, pulsing with magic, the saviour of the universe, this was Adora. Adora in all her beauty, just for Catra.

Breathing hard, Adora came to a halt, pushing her sweaty hair out of her face. After a moment’s pause, she bent over and began to stretch, the tank top she slept in riding up to bare more of that annoyingly perfect skin.

Seeing an opportunity, Catra slide silently out of bed, padding on quiet feet to Adora and pressing her hand to the sun warmed damp skin of her back.

“Let me help you with that,” she purred, enjoying the way Adora’s muscular back twitched at her touch. Pressing her weight into Adora’s back, Catra pushed her deeper into the stretch.

Caught off guard, Adora groaned long and low at the sensation of Catra’s hands on her bare skin.

Squeaking in surprise, Catra sprung away from her and Adora collapsed to the ground, burning face buried in her hands.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. She felt more than heard Catra move to stand in front of her.

A pair of claw tipped hands gripped hers, pulling Adora to her feet. She lifted her gaze to meet Catra’s, grateful to see the faint blush spreading across her checks.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting… you surprised me,” Adora stuttered.

“I surprised you? I didn’t even know that was a sound you could even make!” Catra responded, laughing as Adora groaned, her grip on her hands the only thing stopping Adora from sinking back to the floor in her embarrassment. Taking pity on her blonde idiot, Catra leaned up to press her forehead against Adora’s. “It’s okay, we’ve got all the time in the world.”

Smiling, Adora pressed her mouth to Catra’s, revelling in the joy of the early morning sun, warm on her skin and the woman she loved, warm in her arms.

It didn’t take long for Adora’s morning routine to adjust, including Catra as a key part of it. Adora would slip out of bed with the sunrise and run through her morning exercises. Most days, Catra watched from the warmth of their bed, but sometimes, on days when there was nothing planned, Catra would join her, running through her own set of exercises and then they would spar.

* * *

They had learnt to save their sparring for days with nothing planned after the first time that Adora was late for a ‘very important meeting of the princess alliance’ and Glimmer had teleported into their room to see what was holding up.

The look of shocked horror on her face at the scene she found herself in had sent Catra into spasms of uncontrollable laughter.

Luckily for Adora, the ledge Catra had been holding her off of was directly above one of the many piles of cushions that littered most of Bright Moon’s rooms.

“What are you doing?!” Glimmer had cried, staring in horror at the chaos surrounding her.

“Sparring,” Adora said, as if that at all explained the fact that the room looked like a war room.

Giving up on their Horde raised insanity, Glimmer threw up her hands. “Fine! Just… hurry up and get dressed Adora, everyone is waiting for you.”

The knowing looks Adora had to endure during that meeting were definitely embarrassing enough to ensure that there wasn’t a repeat of that incident.

* * *

Every other day, Catra would watch until Adora had finished her exercises, at which point Catra would slide out of the bed and join her to stretch.

Sometimes, she would stretch beside her, showing off her flexibility and enjoying the way Adora’s gaze lingered on her exposed skin. Sometimes, she would help Adora stretch, using her body to push Adora deeper into the stretches, delighting in the solid warmth of her skin beneath her hands.

Regardless of if they were stretching together and apart, or if they had sparred that morning, the routine always ended the same way. Framed by the morning sunlight that streamed in through the large windows, Adora wrapped her arms around Catra’s waist, drawing her in close. Arms around Adora’s neck, Catra pulled her down for a soft kiss, with just a hint of teeth.

No matter what the day had in store, there was security in the knowledge that at the end of the day, they’d return to this space that was just theirs, where they were just Catra and Adora. And when the morning came, they’d start the ritual all over again.

_Fin_

**Author's Note:**

> I don't particularly like the ending of this fic, but my brain just seemed to hit a solid wall


End file.
